Conveyer system



July 10, 1923.

- A. E. BAILEY CONVEYER SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 5, 1921 July10, 1923. ilfiifilhlldw y A. E. BAILEY CONVEYER SYSTEM Filed Nov. 5,1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,Zzzsenlar Patented July llll,

MEET mill, WILEY, OE ETASEIUA, ailfill] EIMKFQHLEE.

converse errer.wri-r.

Application filled November 5, 1921. serial 3T0. 513,039.

To all 'wlwmit may concern:

Be it known that l, Annular E. Burner, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nashua, in the county of Hillsborough and 5 State of NewHampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ConveyerSystems, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to conveyer systems and is especially concernedwith the separation in a predetermined manner of the articles(hereinafter referred to as carriers) which are handled lay the system.It is the chief object of the invention to devise a mechanism forautomatically performing the operation of switching or diverting certaincarriers into one path and certain other carriers into another path.

The nature of the invention will be readilyunderstood from the followingdescription when read iii-connection with the accompanying drawings, andthe novel features will be particularly pointed out in the ap endedclaims' elerring now to the drawings,

Figure lis a plan view of a portion of a conveyor system including aswitching or diverting mechanism embodying the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig.1.

The construction shown comprises a conveyer belt 2 travelling from righttoleft, as indicated by the arrows, Fig; 2, and supported on a series ofrollers 3 mounted in a suitable frame work. This conveyor transportscarriers of dil'l'erent sizes, the carriers shown in the drawingsconsisting of rela-' tively small boxes A and larger boxes B. This framework supporting the rollers comprises angle irons l 4, the uprightflanges of which guide the boxes laterally as they are carried along bythe belt. At one side of the conveyer this upright flange is cut awayfor a short distance and ashort spiral chute 6 leads from the conveyerat this point and runs. to a lower conveyer belt 7, located immediatelyunder the conveyer 2 but travelling in the opposite direction;

In the present instance it is desired to divert or switch the smallboxes or carriers it oh the upper conveyor into the chute 6 so that theywill he delivered to the lower helt ill ' 7 and carried to another partof the build- %or this purpose a novel switch mechanism is providedwhich comprises a switch arm 8 of relatively stifi construction, as bestshown in Fig. 1, which is secured at one end to an upright support 9that is pivoted at both its upper and lower ends. This enables theswitch arm to swing back and forth across the belt 2. Normally thisswitch arm is held in its operative position, substantially as shown inFig. 1, by means of a wei ht 10- which is connected by a cord or chain11 with a post 12 secured to the outer or free end of the arm 8, thecord or chain running over a pulley supported in the upper part ofa'st'andard 14:.

It will be observed that it this switch arm remained constantly in theposition in which chute 6. It is desirable to divert only the smallcarriers A, and in order to prevent this I mechanism from diverting theother carriers also, a mechanism is employed which enables the largercarriers to move the switch into an-inoperative position.

This mechanism comprises an operating arm 15 which is secured to an uright memher 16 pivoted at its it per an lower ends so that this arm,like t e switch arm 8, can swing back and forth in a horizontal planeacross the belt 2. This arm is located at such an elevation, however,that the small carriers A pass under it, but the large carriers B strikeit.

The outer end of the ,arm 15 lies just behind an upri ht bar 12 which issecured to the outer en of the arm 8, so that the weight 10 normallyholds both the arms 8 and 15 in the positions shown in Fig. 1, orslightly beyond these positions; that is, completely across the belt 2.Consequently, so long as the carriers brought to the switch mechanismare small enough to pass under theoperating arm 15, they will he caughtby the arm 8 and diverted into the chute 6 which will deliver them tothe lower belt 7. When a large carrier B, however, strikes the operatingarm 15 it swings this arm about its pivot into a position substantiallyparallel with the conveyer belt, this arm operating through itsconnection 12 with lllO , the carriers and therefore into such arelationship that it is inoperative to switch these carriers into thechute 6. In other 1 both the switch arm 8 and the operating arm to theirnormal or operative positions.

It will now be understood that this invention provides a very simplemechanism 15 for automatically separating large from small carriers,that this mechanism operates entirely automatically, and that due to thenature of its construction it is subject to .only very slow depreciationand will require ,20attention at only very infrequent intervals.

' While I have herein shown and described the best embodiment of theinvention of which I am at present aware, it will be un- '26 derstoodthat this embodiment may be modified without departing from the spiritor soap of this invention.

at is claimed as new is:

1. In a conveyer system, the combination wot a conveyor unit forhandling carriers of different sizes, and mechanism for automaticallyswitching the small carriers off said conveyer unit while permitting thelarge carriers to travel along said unit. 2. In a conveyer system, thecombination of a conveyer unit, a switch movable across the path oftravel of the carriers transported by said conveyer from a position inwhich it is operative to divert said carriers to a position inoperativefor said purpose, and mechanical means arranged to be operated bycertain of said carriers for moving said switch across said path fromone of said positions to another.

3. In a conveyer system, the combination of a conveyer unit fortransporting carriers of different sizes, a switch arm normallypositioned to divert small carriers of said conveyer unit, and meanswhereby a large carrier is enabled to move said arm automatically into aposition inoperative for said urpose.

4. n a conveyer system, the combination of a conveyer unit, a switchmovable across the path of travel of the carriers transported by saidconveyer from a position in which it-is operative to divert saidcarriers to a position inoperative for said purpose, and mechanicalmeans arranged to be operated by carriers of certain dimensions formoving said swltch across said path from one of said positions toanother.

5. In a conveyer system, the combination of a conveyer unit, a switchmovable across the path of travel of the carriers transported by saidconveyer from a position in which it is operative to divert saidcarriers to a position inoperative for said purpose, and a movablymounted operating arm arranged to be moved by the contact therewith ofcertain of said carriers, said arm being connected with said switch tomove the switch from one of said positions to another. f a

6. In a conveyer system, the combination of a conveyer unit, a switchmovable across the path of travel of the carriers transported by saidconveyer from a position in which it is operative to divert saidcarriers to a position inoperative for said purpose, and a movablymounted operating arm arranged to be moved by the contact therewith ofcertain of said carriers, said arm being connected with said switch tomove the switch from one of said ositions to another, and means for holing said arm and switch normally in predetermined positions.

7. In a conveyer system, the combination of a conveyer unit fortransporting carriers of difi'erent sizes, a switch arm, a pivotedoperating arm, and means for yieldingly holding said arms in a diagonalposition across the path of movement of said carriers with the operatingarm in the path of travel of the largercarriers only, sald arms beingconnected to enable the operating arm to move the switch arm into aninoperative position when the operating arm is struck by a lar carrier.

8. n a conveyer system, the combination of a conveyer belt, a chutediverging from said belt, a pivotally mounted switch arm normallypositioned diagonally across said belt to divert carriers conveyed bythe belt into said chute, a pivotally mounted operating arm normallypositioned across the path of travel of large carriers conveyed by saidbelt, said arms being connected to enable the operating arm to move theswitch arm into an inoperative position'when the operating arm is movedby a large carrier, and a weight connected with said arms and operativeto return them to their normal positions after they have been moved outof said positions by one of the large carriers.

ALERT ELllE BAILEY,

